Game or puzzle.



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GAIVI E OR PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 656,886, dated August 28, 1900.

Application filed February 12, 1900. Serial No. 4,844. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODOR R. GEISEL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of I-lampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games or Puzzles, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This new puzzle or game, comprising a double-decked receptacle or one tray upon another, one or more holes leading from the base of the upper tray into the space in the lower tray and having in the upper tray an inclosu re with an entrance-opening leading thereinto and drawing two sets of balls or rolling members or men, has for its object the manipulation by the exercise of dexterity and skill of the device so that all the halls of one set or series maybe caused to fall through the opening or openings into the lowertray, while all of the balls of the other set are brought into the inclosure in the upper tray; and the invention consists in the devices or appliances constituting the puzzle or game and susceptible of the manipulations for the performance thereof hereinafter more particularly described, and set forth in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective view of the game or puzzle device with parts thereof shown as broken away for clearer illustration. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A represents the upwardlyopen lower tray or box, having internally the ledges or rests a rising from its bottom but part Way to the top and serving for the support of the removably-fitted upper tray B, which is more shallow than the one A. The upper tray has therein the inclosure 0, leading into which from the space within such tray is the opening 1). One or more holes cl d are provided through the bottom of tray B.

f and 9 represent the two sets of balls or movable men of different aspects as, for instance, they may be of different sizes, as shown, or they may be of different colors. Ordinary shot serve for the movable men.

The upper tray has preferably the glass top j, whereby it is entirely closed, and. the upper edge of the wall of the inclosure 0 extends but part way up to the glass top, so that there is the space, as indicated in Fig. 2, be tween the top edge of such wall and the under side of the glass greater than the diame ter of the larger balls.

The trays and inclosure 0 may be oonsti= tuted by pasteboard, thin metal, wood, or any suitable material. The wall making the inclosure 0 may bea single strip havingtongues h projecting downwardly from its lower edge through small slots 4; in the base of tray B, said tongue being bent angularly at the under side, as shown. Where made of pasteboard, the nnderturned parts of the tongues may be glued or otherwise secured on the un-' der side of the tray-bottom.

In .the manipulation of the puzzle or game all the balls are to be primarily in the upper tray. Then by tilting the whole device first one way and then another the one set of balls are brought to the holes and permitted to drop through into the lower tray, while all of the other set of balls are brought into theinclosure 0. If the person attempting to ao-. complish the object mentioned permits any of the one set of the balls designed to be brought into the inclosure to pass through either of the holes down into the lower tray, he will consider such a balk and should commence over. The halls are replaced in the upper tray by lifting the latter out and inverting it and inserting the balls through the holes in the bottom.

An interesting competitive game may consist in two or more persons alternately operating the device, the one getting the greatest number of each set of balls in the proper receptacles and with the fewest of the balls misplaced beyond recovery being regarded 'the winner; but by the exercise of the required skill and patience it is possible to bring all the balls of the separate sets into their respective places. After the one set of balls have been brought within theinclosure 0 they are returned for another startpromiscuously in the tray B by inverting and slanting the said tray sothat they may pass across the upper edge of the inclosure-wall between same and the under side of the glass.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patout, is---- In a game or puzzle, the combination with the lower tray A, of the upper tray supported therewithin with its bottom above the bottom of the lower tray, and having one or more holes D through its bottom, and having an inclosure O nearly surrounded by an edgewise-applied strip suitably bent to form the boundaries of the inclosure and which has tongues which project downwardly through slots orslits which are formed in the bottom of said upper tray, and which are under- IO turned and engaged against the bottom of said tray, substantially as described.

TI-IEODOR R. GEISEL. Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLoWs, M. A. CAMPBELL. 

